Supreme Court Panel Keeps Jair Bolsonaro in Federal Custody After Ankle-Monitor Tampering

A four-justice panel of Brazil's Supreme Court has unanimously voted to keep former president Jair Bolsonaro in federal police custody after he admitted tampering with his ankle monitor. The panel met on Monday and reached the decision despite a fifth seat being vacant after Justice Luiz Fux moved to another panel.

Justices Alexandre de Moraes and Flávio Dino cited repeated breaches of court orders and a heightened risk that Bolsonaro could flee the country. De Moraes wrote that Bolsonaro had shown "patent disrespect for the justice system" and said converting house arrest to pre-trial detention was necessary "to guarantee public order, ensure the application of criminal law and prevent disrespect for the precautionary measures already applied." Dino said the admitted breach of electronic monitoring "not only increases the risk of escape but also indicates a blatant violation of the precautionary measures imposed by the Judiciary."

Bolsonaro, 70, was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison after being convicted on five counts related to efforts to overturn the 2022 presidential election. The convictions include attempting a coup, participation in an armed criminal organization, seeking the violent abolition of democratic rule, aggravated damage involving violence and the deterioration of protected heritage.

Before the arrest, Bolsonaro had been under house arrest in Brasília while his lawyers pursued appeals and requested that he be allowed to serve his sentence at home for health reasons linked to a 2018 stabbing. Authorities say Justice de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro jailed after agents alleged he damaged his ankle monitor with a soldering tool. An assistant judge, Luciana Sorrentino, told the court Bolsonaro reported experiencing "hallucinations" and "paranoia," saying he believed the device contained a "wiretap" and attributing the symptoms to a change in medication.

Federal police investigations have also pointed to actions suggesting Bolsonaro may have considered fleeing abroad. In August they reported seizing a 33-page letter in which he sought asylum from Argentina's president Javier Milei and described himself as "persecuted for reasons and crimes that are essentially political." Around the same time he reportedly spent nights in the Hungarian embassy in Brasília, prompting further questions about possible attempts to secure diplomatic sanctuary.

The case has drawn international attention and vocal support from political allies. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, has criticized the proceedings as a "witch hunt" and supporters have called for intervention on Bolsonaro's behalf. Bolsonaro's defence team continues to deny he sought to foment a coup and frames the process as politically motivated; one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, faces a separate obstruction trial tied to allegations he sought improper assistance from U.S. officials.

Bolsonaro is now being held in a federal police facility in Brasília, ending more than 100 days under house arrest.